Target holders for roll type targets which are remotely operable by a shooter are over 100 years old. A very early target holder is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 398,186, Rehfuss, patented in 1889. The Rehfuss device was provided with a rigid metal plate surrounding the periphery of the active target to protect the unused target roll and drive mechanism and included a bullet trap behind the active target to catch bullets fired therethrough. The targets can be remotely advanced by a shooter by pulling a long string which operates a ratchet mechanism which unwinds the target roll. A similar mechanism was patented in 1907 by Easdale, U.S. Pat. No. 840,610. The Easdale device also utilized a bullet trap behind the active target and the string for operating a ratchet mechanism to advance the target.
There are several more modern bullet trap type target holders which utilize a motor to advance the targets remotely, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 1,981,293, Varrelman; U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,372, Vogelaere, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,250, Ayres. Varrelman is a relatively large and heavy target holder with a metal back-stop and a bullet trap. Vogelaere is a portable light-weight training device for use with dummy ammunition. A nylon shield "S" provides a back-stop for projectiles having traveled through the roll-type paper target. Since the Vogelaere device is intended for use with dummy ammunition, there is no effort made to protect the mechanism from damage from being struck by bullets. The Ayres patent illustrates an automatic target holder which utilizes folded pin-feed paper which is advanced by a motor in front of a bullet trap. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 1,928,768, Sell and U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,744, Tolliver, illustrate roll-type targets which are manually advanced by the shooter and are positioned in front of a solid backstop.